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Among the most vibrant spots on a Tuesday evening in the East End's famous street couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear label pop-up, it's a chess club – or a chess and nightlife combination, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the unlikely fusion between chess and the city's fervent nightlife scene. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who began his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the current location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for individuals who share my background and those my generation,” he said. “Usually, chess is only put in environments that are full of senior individuals, which isn't inclusive sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just eight boards shared by 16 people. Today, a “successful evening” at the regular Knight Club will draw approximately 280 attendees.

At first glance, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Mixed drinks are flowing and music is in the air, but the chessboards on every table aren't just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and surrounded by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending the club often for the past several months. “I had no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I competed in a game against a expert player. That was a quick victory, but it made me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% networking and half participants actually wanting to engage in chess … It is a pleasant way to relax, which avoids visiting a club to see other people my age.”

A Game Reborn: Chess in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding internet games in the world. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel Intermezzo, have created a certain imagery associated with the sport, which has attracted a new wave of players.

However a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the play; rather, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it facilitates, by pulling up a seat and playing with a person who could be a total stranger.

“It's a great Trojan horse,” said Jonah Freud, founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, reading room, coffee house and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club weekly since it opened four years ago. Freud’s objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to pool in a dive bar”.

“It is a really simple vehicle to meet people. It kind of takes the pressure of the need of conversation away from interacting with people. You can handle the awkward bit of introducing yourself and talking to a new acquaintance over a game rather than with no kind of context around it.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Outside the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a regular chess event taking place at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that individuals are seeking places where one can go out, socialise and have a fun evening beyond going to a bar or club,” said its creator and coordinator, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, he purchased game sets, printed promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, while in his final year of college. In less than a year, he said their event has expanded to draw more than one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation associated with it, about it seeming quiet. Our approach is to move in the opposite way; it is a convivial party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: A New Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, in her late twenties, is learning how to participate in chess with other visitors of chess night at the venue. Her interest in the game was piqued after an pleasurable night dancing and engaging in chess at a previous Knight Club's events.

“It is a unique idea, but it functions well,” she commented. “It promotes in-person exchanges instead of digital activities. It's a free third space to meet strangers. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the popularity of chess with young people to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to feign braininess while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a authentic passion in the sport isn't a notion she's entirely convinced by. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s very much a trend,” she observed. “Once you compete with people who are truly serious about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Togetherness

It may all be a some fun and games for those looking to employ a game set as a networking tool, but serious participants certainly have their role, even if off the dancefloor.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in organise Knight Club,says that increasingly skilled players have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we'll go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly every week. “This offers a nice alternative to engaging in intense chess; it provides a feeling of belonging,” he expressed.

“It is interesting to see how it evolves into more of a social activity, because in the past the sole individuals who played chess were people who didn't socialize; they simply remained home. It's typically only two people competing on a game board …

“The thing appeals to me about this place is that you're not actually facing the digital opponent, you are facing live opponents.”